The 2016 FIDE Candidates tournament will take place in Moscow next March to decide the challenger to world champion Magnus Carlsen. The field is all but decided now that the sponsor, Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, has nominated his countryman, Levon Aronian, as the wildcard entry. The players already qualified are Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Viswanathan Anand (India), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Sergey Karjakin (Russia) and Peter Svidler (Russia). The eighth and final place is decided on average rating over 2015 and will most likely go to Anish Giri of the Netherlands ahead of ex world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia.
Kramnik overtook Giri on the current rating list with a fantastic 4½/5 performance on top board for the winning team Siberia in the 31st European Club Cup in October. However, barring a miracle in the next month, the jump in rating comes too late to outweigh the advantage Giri has from earlier periods in the year.
Today's game features Kramnik with White against Topalov from the fifth round of the European Club Cup.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 c5 4.Bd3 b6 5.O-O Bb7 6.c4 cxd4 7.exd4 Be7 8.Nc3 d5 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Ne5 O-O 11.Qg4 f5
White's quiet opening has transposed into a dangerous variation on the Queen's Indian Defence. Black's decision to close the b1-h7 diagonal weakens his e-pawn and kingside. 11... Nf6 was possible. 12.Qe2 Bf6 13.Bc4 Re8 14.Rd1 Nd7
This allows White to force a favourable exchange of minor pieces. Instead after 14... Nc6 15.Bb5 the knight can be defended by 15... Rc8. 15.Bb5! Bxe5 16.dxe5 Qe7?!
The pin needed to be broken by 16... a6! 17.Ba4 b5 18.Bb3 when the knight on d7 can partake in the defence. White is now able to further weaken the Black kingside. 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.Qh5! g6
Or 18... a6 19.Bg5 forcing 19... g6 anyway. 19.Qh6 Rec8 20.Bg5 Qf7 21.Bxd7! Qxd7 22.Bf6
The opposite coloured bishops here work in the attacker's favour. Black's pieces will be forever tied to the weak kingside dark squares, while White slowly builds his attack. 22... Qf7 23.b3 Qf8 24.Qf4 Rc2 25.h4! Rac8 26.h5 Qe8 27.Rd3!
The h-pawn advance and rook lift are thoroughly justified by Black's inability to undertake any counterplay. Black has to oppose rooks on the third rank to stop a white rook coming to the kingside. 27... R2c3 28.Rad1 gxh5
Allowing White a fine breakthrough sacrifice, but it was difficult to hold the position – e.g. 28... R8c7 29.Qe3! Rxd3 30.Rxd3 and the rook joins the attack 30... Qc6 31.Qh3 Qc1+ 32.Kh2 Qf4+ 33.Rg3 with serious threats. 29.Rxd5! exd5 30.e6 R3c7
Defending the second rank. If 30... R3c6 31.Rd3! Rxe6 32.Rg3+ Kf7 33.Qh6 and the threat of 34.Rg7+ wins. 31.Rxd5 Qxe6 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Rxf5 Rf7
Or 33... Rc5 34.Be7+ Ke8 35.Rf8+! Kd7 36.Bxc5 Rxc5 37.Qd8+ Kc6 38.Rf6 etc. 34.Qh6+ Ke8 35.Re5 Rc6 36.Qxh5!
Sidestepping the last trap 36.Rxe6+? Rxe6 winning the bishop with a draw. Black Resigns
Kramnik's burst too late for Candidates
Problem: White to play and mate in 3.
The 2016 FIDE Candidates tournament will take place in Moscow next March to decide the challenger to world champion Magnus Carlsen. The field is all but decided now that the sponsor, Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, has nominated his countryman, Levon Aronian, as the wildcard entry. The players already qualified are Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Viswanathan Anand (India), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Sergey Karjakin (Russia) and Peter Svidler (Russia). The eighth and final place is decided on average rating over 2015 and will most likely go to Anish Giri of the Netherlands ahead of ex world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia.
Kramnik overtook Giri on the current rating list with a fantastic 4½/5 performance on top board for the winning team Siberia in the 31st European Club Cup in October. However, barring a miracle in the next month, the jump in rating comes too late to outweigh the advantage Giri has from earlier periods in the year.
Today's game features Kramnik with White against Topalov from the fifth round of the European Club Cup.
1.d4 Nf6
2.Nf3 e6
3.e3 c5
4.Bd3 b6
5.O-O Bb7
6.c4 cxd4
7.exd4 Be7
8.Nc3 d5
9.cxd5 Nxd5
10.Ne5 O-O
11.Qg4 f5
White's quiet opening has transposed into a dangerous variation on the Queen's Indian Defence. Black's decision to close the b1-h7 diagonal weakens his e-pawn and kingside. 11... Nf6 was possible.
12.Qe2 Bf6
13.Bc4 Re8
14.Rd1 Nd7
This allows White to force a favourable exchange of minor pieces. Instead after 14... Nc6 15.Bb5 the knight can be defended by 15... Rc8.
15.Bb5! Bxe5
16.dxe5 Qe7?!
The pin needed to be broken by 16... a6! 17.Ba4 b5 18.Bb3 when the knight on d7 can partake in the defence. White is now able to further weaken the Black kingside.
17.Nxd5 Bxd5
18.Qh5! g6
Or 18... a6 19.Bg5 forcing 19... g6 anyway.
19.Qh6 Rec8
20.Bg5 Qf7
21.Bxd7! Qxd7
22.Bf6
The opposite coloured bishops here work in the attacker's favour. Black's pieces will be forever tied to the weak kingside dark squares, while White slowly builds his attack.
22... Qf7
23.b3 Qf8
24.Qf4 Rc2
25.h4! Rac8
26.h5 Qe8
27.Rd3!
The h-pawn advance and rook lift are thoroughly justified by Black's inability to undertake any counterplay. Black has to oppose rooks on the third rank to stop a white rook coming to the kingside.
27... R2c3
28.Rad1 gxh5
Allowing White a fine breakthrough sacrifice, but it was difficult to hold the position – e.g. 28... R8c7 29.Qe3! Rxd3 30.Rxd3 and the rook joins the attack 30... Qc6 31.Qh3 Qc1+ 32.Kh2 Qf4+ 33.Rg3 with serious threats.
29.Rxd5! exd5
30.e6 R3c7
Defending the second rank. If 30... R3c6 31.Rd3! Rxe6 32.Rg3+ Kf7 33.Qh6 and the threat of 34.Rg7+ wins.
31.Rxd5 Qxe6
32.Qg5+ Kf8
33.Rxf5 Rf7
Or 33... Rc5 34.Be7+ Ke8 35.Rf8+! Kd7 36.Bxc5 Rxc5 37.Qd8+ Kc6 38.Rf6 etc.
34.Qh6+ Ke8
35.Re5 Rc6
36.Qxh5!
Sidestepping the last trap 36.Rxe6+? Rxe6 winning the bishop with a draw. Black Resigns
1-0
Solution: 1.Qxh6+!! gxh6 (1... Kg8 2.Qh7#) 2.Nf7+ Kg8 3.Nxh6#